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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29085336">I am his and he is mine, from this day until the end of my days</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sukie_Kagamine/pseuds/Sukie_Kagamine'>Sukie_Kagamine</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Tenet (2020)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Affection, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Anal Sex, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Blood and Injury, Canon Compliant, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fist Fights, Gay Sex, Gun Violence, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minor Injuries, Nightmares, Oblivious, Smut, Soul Bond, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Sparring, Training</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 11:22:15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>8,770</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29085336</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sukie_Kagamine/pseuds/Sukie_Kagamine</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>They all said the Big Boss had a soulmate once.</p><p>"I mean, isn't everyone supposed to have a soulmate?" Neil asked, not looking up from his computer. It was a familiar, almost obvious, concept. At a time in their life, everyone would find out they have a tattoo of the name of another person on Earth. And that means that person had your name on their body as well, and you two were soulmates. The two perfectly fit puzzles, the one that they belong with for the rest of their lives.</p><p>"Yes, dummy, but he lost his soulmate."</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Neil/The Protagonist (Tenet)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>98</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>I am his and he is mine, from this day until the end of my days</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Title taken from Game of Thrones wedding vows</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>They all said the Big Boss had a soulmate once.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I mean, isn't everyone supposed to have a soulmate?" Neil asked, not looking up from his computer. It was a familiar, almost obvious, concept. At a time in their life, everyone would find out they have a tattoo of the name of another person on Earth. And that means that person had your name on their body as well, and you two were soulmates. The two perfectly fit puzzles, the one that they belong with for the rest of their lives.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yes, dummy, but he lost his soulmate." She was the biggest gossip, and Neil was surprised Wheeler hadn't fired her from Tenet yet. But then they were still a small, discreet organization, and they needed someone to help with the paperwork. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"How do you know that?" Neil rolled his eyes. "We never saw his soul mark."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Actually, Kenny did." She lowered her voice and looked around, careful not to let anyone else hear her. Well, if only she could keep this precious information from him. "He told me about a big scar on the boss' inner arm."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"So? I'm sure he has scars everywhere." Neil shrugged.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"This scar was different. You know it, Neil, people's soul mark turns into a wound and then a scar after their soulmate dies. But it never really heals. It still hurts every time you touch it."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Isabella, I just think it's none of our business." Neil finally took off his glasses and stared at her, sighing. "Why do you care so much about his personal life anyway? What's the difference if his soulmate died?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"They said the boss was so upset after his soulmate’s death that it stops him from recruiting more new people even when many of them are good enough. Tenet has been stepping in the same spot for such a long time, we never get past the US border for bigger missions. Don’t you think so?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re thinking too hard.” Neil shook his head, and the woman rolled her eyes and got out to get some yogurt. Finally, some peace.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was just not interested in gossiping about the boss. Especially not about something as painful as losing his soulmate, doesn't matter if it was true or not. He knew what it's like to lose a soulmate, even though his was still alive. He couldn't imagine how horrible it must have felt for anyone to go through that. And the boss… Well, the boss deserved better. So much better. He cared about every part of Tenet, even the janitor, he looked after all of them and gave it everything. He always asked his people about their health, their belief, their hopes and emotions. He listened and genuinely cared. Neil admired his heart, his determination, and the way he worked was something which mesmerized Neil to no end. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He would watch the recorded camera tapes of the missions with the boss in it, studying his movements, his strategy, and realizing how much he tried to minimize the collateral damage while still finishing the mission perfectly. Like the time he saved Neil from the death and revived him as a new Tenet agent. Ever since then, Neil's admiration for him only grew. He wished to win the approval of that man, to make him feel like saving and recruiting Neil was the best decision he had ever made.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Neil was never a field agent. He wasn't physically trained, not even when he left MI6 for Tenet. They were short on the people who could run errands in missions directly, but whenever he asked the big boss about it, he always said it's too dangerous for Neil. Of course, he took it as an offense and protested fiercely, but no matter what reason he gave, he was just never enough. It was a hard time for Neil, having to stand aside from the action and watch the CCTV and sit by the computer to warn the units instead of really engaging, but he had hope. He was secretly training behind the boss' back every night with Ives, one of the best fighters in Tenet, so one day he would finally prove to the man that he wasn't a lanky nerd who couldn't fire a gun. He saw the boss fighting in the field, saving innocent lives, taking down five or six enemies at a time without breaking a sweat, and he wanted that. He would do anything to have the chance to fight alongside him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And the vague rumor about a soulmate never came into his mind. Not until now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Neil turned on the bed to check on the time. It was already 3 am, and he couldn't sleep. He groaned and rolled over, picking up his phone. It wasn't like he wasn't tired, his limbs felt like noodles after the secret training with Ives, but he just couldn't get his mind off of what Isabella said today. Ives was furious with him being distracted and sent him home early after pushing him so hard he almost broke. Neil still remembered Ives' frustrated grunt telling him to go back when he was actually interested in not getting beaten up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>All of it, because he kept wondering if what they said about the boss was true. About his soulmate. He made a dumb mistake of texting Isabella to ask more about it, and she gave him an even more tragic scenario about the boss' full of tears back story, and it haunted Neil more than he could admit. She said the boss' soulmate was another Tenet agent and they met a long time ago, before Tenet was even created. She said something about that person being killed right in front of the boss and he still had nightmares from the pain coming from his soul mark's scar every night. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>All of this stuff about soulmates reminded him of his own tattoo of his other half on the back of his head. Yep, what a strange place to be, but that was what his parents told him when he was young, and that was what he saw when he eagerly shaved half of his hair off to try to look at it in the mirror when he was ten. He still remembered the cursive elegant handwritings, now lost in his blond mop of hair. David Wilson. An undeniably manly name, and every time Neil whispered it to himself in an empty room, it sounded so beautiful he wished he could once in his life call it for real.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Neil threw his phone aside and curled back into his blanket, touching the back of his head with his fingers as a habit to calm himself. He was raised to have a great belief in soulmates - how could he not, when his parents were the most perfect couple of soulmates in this entire world? They taught him love, hopes and gave him a great belief that one day he would find the one that was meant for him. This amazing David Wilson would be everything he ever asked for, the one that fit with him most and would love him until the rest of his life. He spent years and years looking for that man, waiting to see his face for the first time, to feel the explosive firework that his parents got when they first met each other. But even when he got into college, he still couldn't find David anywhere. Sometimes, he met someone named David. Sometimes, he met someone whose last name was Wilson. But never his David Wilson.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And then his parents passed away in their burning house, and Neil was the only one who survived because the boss rescued him. And now, suddenly, he was completely alone in this world, with no family and no soulmate. All of his studies stored in the laptop, his future… all burned out in that house. The last thing he remembered in the previous life of his was the burning feeling of smoke in his lungs, and the twisted figure of the boss bursting into the building to save him. He woke up in Tenet's hospital bay with the man also injured and unconscious on a bed next to him, and his life changed forever.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The boss recruited him into Tenet, faking his death in that building, and Neil decided to leave his life behind, even his soulmate. They told him the ones who tried to kill his family with fire were still on the loose out there, waiting to end his life again if he ever emerges, so his soulmate would also be in danger. The best thing that he could do was cut off his ties and let David live the peaceful life of a normal person, maybe finding another love for himself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So yeah, he knew what it felt like to lose a soulmate, Neil thought as he finally, finally drifted off. He just wished that everything they gossiped about the boss' soulmate was wrong, because no one ever deserved to go through that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey, Ives." Neil suddenly said as he gulped down a mouthful of water, still breathing heavily after the sparring. On the other side of the training mat, with absolutely not even a drop of sweat, Ives raised an eyebrow at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Do you have a soulmate?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The man stared at him for a short second before shrugging. "No. Not sure. I mean, I keep going back and forth in time so many times I'm not even sure if she's born yet. Or maybe she's already old. Whatever."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You never met her before?" Neil blinked, wiping off his sweat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Never. But it's better that way. Tenet can attract dangerous people." Ives crossed his arms. "Why are you asking me this?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm just wondering, that's all." Neil shook his head. "Sometimes I remember that I have a soulmate somewhere waiting for me but I can never be with them because as you said, it is too dangerous."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Does it have anything to do with the fact that you've been distracted lately?" Ives raised his eyebrow, and Neil stuttered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I… Well…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Soulmates seem to be a very popular topic among Tenet agents recently." Ives picked up his bottle of water and took some sips. "I've been hearing non-stop rumors."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What did you hear?" Neil looked at him curiously, and he stared back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What did you hear?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well… Some things about the boss' soulmate. It's bad. I… kinda feel sorry for him. I mean, he deserves better."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Ah. I see. And the sob stories made you think about your own soulmate?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Maybe."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Are you regretting getting into Tenet? A place full of people with tragic love lives?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"...Probably not. It's for the greater good, isn't it?" He smirked, eyes sparkling. "Besides, how else can I meet such a wonderful teacher like you?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Don't try to use that charm on me." Ives rolled his eyes. "You can make him do things with that, but not me."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Him?" Neil grinned. "Him who?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Shut up. Class dismissed." Ives turned away, clearly pretending to be annoyed, and Neil chuckled, standing up to follow him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Come on, I know I can charm women, but him? Who's him? I never told you I like men." Neil started to pester him, and Ives growled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Everybody knows."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Then at least tell me. Is that Harrison? We had lunch the other day. Or maybe Bishop? I'm not against a fling, you know. It's not like I can see my soulmate, anyway." He followed Ives, but the man didn't slow down. "Ives, is my rainbow intimidating your fragile masculinity so much you can't answer me?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ives suddenly stopped. He turned around and glared at Neil. Neil took a step back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Fine. Let's have it your way." Ives said, storming back into the training area. "We're having another sparring. And if you can survive me for 10 minutes, I can tell you about what he thought."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Deal." Neil laughed, and then stepped on the mat, facing him. They don't usually do this with any weapon. Just their good old fists. "You know I usually surprise the men I met with how long I can last."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ives flexed his arms. "Don't flatter yourself."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And then he pounced. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ives was a fierce warrior. Every strike of his was calculated as if he looked at his component through a special lens that pointed out all their deadly weaknesses to him, and Neil was trying to learn it. He had some medical background, so it wasn't too hard, but Ives wasn't moving slowly enough for him to even see where his fists were before they almost came in contact with his face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Still, Neil was a lot better than the first time they tried this. He trained hard, and Ives really was a good teacher. He managed to dodge and block most of Ives' attack, patiently staying defensive until he found a chance to counter-attack. Two punches made his head spin like a flashbang, but he tried to keep balance. Ives elbowed him in the gut, stunning him, and flipped him over, but Neil kicked the man away before he could lock Neil in place. He jumped back up from the mat, and started to throw back the punches at the man. Up, down, kick his leg, block, his head was empty as his muscles did their job. He somehow got close enough to wrap his arms around Ives' throat from behind and pulled him to the ground, but then Ives pushed him back, slamming into the wall, and Neil let him go in the dizziness. Still, he was so proud of himself for being fast enough to duck another attack and used the split second of distraction to kick Ives' leg. Every grunt Ives let out as Neil punched him across the face was more triumphant to Neil than anything, even though after a few seconds, the man came back to having the upper hand. He caught Neil's arm in the middle of a punch and twisted it back, making Neil let out a yell. God, it hurt like hell. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He struggled, tried to break free, but Ives wasn't letting his guard down this time. The man locked both of his arms and pushed him down. "Not bad, Neil. You're getting more and more annoying every day."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Which means I'm getting better." Neil chuckled, and Ives twisted a little harder, making him groan.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Not good enough to be in the field. Practice harder." Ives let him go, and Neil fell into a heap on the mat. He took some time to gain back control of his limbs before getting up. Ives was already near the door, about to leave.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You always say that. The boss always says that. I've been waiting for years!" Neil shook his head, grimacing as he could feel bruises forming under his skin. He tried to sound careless, but he knew his voice dripped with petulance. "It's like I'm never good enough for you. I've beaten blokes who are in the field doing missions literally as we speak. Do you even care?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ives stayed silent for a second, before speaking, still turning his back towards Neil. "Not as much as him, though."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh God, not this again. Who the hell is he? And you said you'd tell me if I survive 10 minutes! It's been so much longer than that."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The boss." Ives finally replied, the word sharp and clear like a cold blade of metal sliding in the air. Neil's eyes went wide open. "He does care about you. More than others. Sometimes too much."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What do you mean? He doesn't even know me. We barely talk." Neil got closer, confused, and Ives turned around again, stared at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He's the one telling me you need more training than others. He said if we let you get into the field, you have to practice five times, no, ten times harder than others, and become ten times better than them."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Why would he say that?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ives got out of the room, but Neil sprinted after him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Ives! Come on! Why?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He grabbed Ives' arm, keeping the man from getting away. When Ives turned to look into his pleading eyes, the man clenched his jaw, and then finally said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Because there's a message from the future boss saying your role in Tenet is bigger than you thought."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ever since then, Neil's life changed again. The words coming from Ives kept ringing in his head every time he saw the boss in Tenet headquarters, in his office or in the training grounds or maybe just walking around in the corridors. The questions never left his mind. And he started to realize the things he never did before.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Neil found out all of his working records had a secret copy that was sent straight to the boss' computer. Wheeler and Ives constantly followed his progress and had daily trips to the boss' office even when there was nothing to report from their work. His clock in and clock out history was also saved to the boss' mail. It took him a while to figure it all out, but slowly, it all became obvious. The boss was training him to become the best agent he could, so one day he could fulfill his "big role". Neil knew he should be proud - he was actually the best agent at Tenet, other than Ives and Wheeler and some others, of course - but something kept bugging him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He wanted more than that. He wanted to be appreciated simply because he was a good agent, an efficient and loyal agent, not because a prophecy from the future told them to. It's like having his own fate stuck in a mold and the whole organization acted around it, giving him no space to breathe. They certainly didn't care how hard he tried, because clearly there was a prophecy about him, and he was ready on its terms, not his. He could work his ass off and still couldn't win over the messages of his own boss from the future. And he hated it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He wanted… He wanted the boss to see him as he is. To see him because of his efforts. Not--Not whatever this is.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Neil, why are you staring at the boss' office scowling?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Neil snapped out of his haze and turned back to the woman next to him, giving her a smile. "What? I'm not. Why? Do you need anything?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, I certainly needed something before." She smirked, getting closer. "But I see that you're having some troubles, blondie. Tell me."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm not gonna feed you gossip about myself." Neil rolled his eyes, turning away. It was just another Friday afternoon when everyone was too eager to have the next day off. They were sitting in their cubicles in the largest room in the building, each with their own computer, doing their daily job. Neil's mind has been a mess ever since the truth about the boss and himself had been revealed to him, and he wasn't surprised if his raccoon eyes gave away his sleep deprivation. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh come on," Isabella punched his shoulder playfully, "You're obviously having--"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A gunshot, and the desk next to Neil exploded in the sparks of the bullet. He heard Isabella's painful scream along with many other gasps and yelps, and without a second thought, he duck behind his desk. Around him, many other agents were doing the same. Neil's heart drummed in his chest as he heard the woman slumped onto the floor only a foot from him, but when he tried to pull her to a safe place, another series of gunshot stopped him and he could feel the slides of the bullets against the wood of his desk. Neil carefully looked at where the bullets came from, and he saw a group of men, dressed in all black and carrying large guns, blocking the entrance to the co-working space. They somehow passed through the security in the front without alarming the system, and now only a room away from where the head of Tenet was. Who the hell are they?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And God, Neil had no idea if Isabella was alright. Well, she clearly wasn't, which terrified him to no end, but he could do nothing about it. Fuck. Three cubicles from him, he saw agent Agron pressing the alarm button, another gunshot at the poor man, and Neil saw his body slumped down. He leaned against his desk, panting. It will take ten, fifteen minutes for the reinforcement to come, and all of their field agents were on another mission. The only ones left here were practically all noodle-arms, and the boss… He was still in his office. Neil knew the man could and would probably wipe the floor with these thugs, but there were so many of them. And they were all armed and ready. It was hard to imagine how the boss would defeat them all without getting injured.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Find the nigga." One of them growled at the others.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The armed men started to split to cover the whole room, clearly looking for the boss, and Neil had to take his chance. No matter how the boss would react - he had to stop them before they came in and harmed the man. They came here finding him, and there was no way Neil let them get what they wanted. He slowly reached over to his drawer, careful not to let them notice, and quietly pulled out his gun under the stack of documents. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Don't." A hand placed itself on Neil's gun and another on his shoulder. He turned around to see a fellow agent of his, who was also watching things from his spot behind a desk. "You can't go against them alone."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"They're going to kill the boss." Neil whispered frantically. "I have to do something!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Then wait for the right moment. When he appears, you can help him. Two is better than one, Neil. Do you seriously think that you can protect him by yourself?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>One of them kicked the door to the boss' office open. Everything was eerily quiet, no one dared to breathe heavily as three of them stepped into the room with their guns ready. Neil couldn't make out what was in the room from his angle, but then there were gunshots again, some grunts and the sounds of punches against flesh repeatedly banging against his eardrums. The goons outside were smirking as they glared at the terrified agents under their barrel. Neil's fingers around his gun shifted. He considered their positions, biting his lips. His heart hammered in his chest. Seemed like, well, seemed like he was the only one left against these thugs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"This is even more boring than I expected." One of them snickered, and then the door to the office opened again after the violent smashing noise stopped. "So fast?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Very." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And Neil's eyes went wide open. It wasn't the answer from one of them. It was from him. From the boss.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At that same moment, the armed men also realized that their target had somehow defeated three of them in only a few minutes, and started raining fire at him. Which was an opportunity for Neil to get out of his hiding and take his own shots at them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The agents gasped - some even tried to talk him out of it, but Neil fired - and two of the thugs fell down before they could hurt the boss. On the other side of the room, the boss pulled the body of a dead thug to shield himself, and shot back at them, taking down one or two. Neil's attack relieved his burden, and he quickly jumped into the fight with the next thug, stopping him from taking a hostage.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Neil exploited the time to check on Isabella and Agron, making sure the others were giving them first aid. They were bleeding a lot, but one of the agents had some medical knowledge, and after a while, the situation slowly improved. Neil decided to use the skills he had from his training to take down some thugs to aid the boss. They were scary, but not even close to Ives, and he did it with only a little effort. Most of the time, he would pay attention to the boss' movements and help the man. Not like he needed much help with the way that he crashed through them like a storm, though. But still, Neil had his back, and it was like everything he ever dreamed of doing. Fighting as if they were in the field, doing missions right at the boss' side, being his guardian angel. Neil took one of their guns and shot down another one who was about to tackle the boss, leaving the path clear for him to strike down the last one standing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And that was when the reinforcement came in.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Great, just in time." Neil rolled his eyes as Ives and Wheeler along with their agents flooded the room, and the injured were taken away to the emergency room. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Jesus, we just left for a few hours." Wheeler looked around, sighing. "What happened?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The boss got to them, face serious. "I see the tattoo on their hands. They're terrorists. Led by messages from the future."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"They're here to destroy Tenet before we could have enough power to stop whoever sent them." Ives nodded, and the boss agreed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'll ask agent Campbell to look more into them. See if we can track down whoever's sending them." Wheeler said, already making a phone call.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And we need more people on guarding duty." The boss said, rubbing his forehead. "I didn't notice until they were already in here. This cannot happen again."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Sure, sure. I'll make sure they upgrade the alarm and rearrange the security. But you still wiped the floor with them by yourself anyway, so…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Not alone." The man turned to Neil, who was still pumped up with adrenaline, something he rarely got besides in his training sessions with Ives. He gave Neil a small smile. "Good job, Neil. I supposed you've always been ready after all."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I… Thank you." was the only thing he could mutter. Neil just hoped his cheeks didn't get any redder than they already were.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And that was the day that Neil was promoted from a desk agent to a field agent. A field agent assigned in the boss' unit, by his own achievements and bravery and not because fate told him to. And he did great. The team loved him, the boss loved him (even though the man didn't show it), his plans nearly always worked perfectly, and he got to fight alongside the boss, taking down terrorists and saving people's lives with him. It was the dream that he'd never thought would come true.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Another successful mission. Neil finally snuck past the last guard and followed the boss into their marked container and shut the door. The trailer started and slowly drove away, coming back to their assembling point. They've just gathered enough intel that they will need for their next big mission, and Neil couldn't help being excited. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He went inside and sat down on a pile of rags, next to cartons of goods. Tenet had had twelve successful missions in a row, and this was counted as the thirteenth, thanks to him and the boss working impeccably with each other. None of their enemies found out about them, but they learned enough about their structure, their future plans, and resources that the ideas for their next operation kept popping in Neil's head every second.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey, do you think we should attack their arms supplier first?" Neil asked as he looked at the man sitting on the opposite side of the enclosed space in the container, grinning from ear to ear. "It'll make it easier. We can even find some interesting things for ourselves. I heard them bragging about their sonic grenades and new machine guns."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That's an option. We'd discuss that with the team later when we're home." The boss said, voice distracted as he grunted and shifted his body in his place.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Something wrong?" Neil blinked, automatically moved closer, and the man grimaced.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Got a scratch from the fence on the way out." He huffed, sweat gathering on the side of his face. He held his abdomen in pain.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Take off your shirt. Let me check on it." Neil tugged on the hem of his polo, and he obediently pulled it over his head to reveal the wound. The lighting in the container was poor, but Neil managed to have a good look at it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's not deep. Just a scratch." Neil stood up to take the first aid kit from the corner. "Don't worry, I can patch it up for you."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And the boss sat back, letting Neil help him. They had been through situations like this a few times, Neil being the "expert medic" that he was, but at other times, it was other teammates who got injured and the boss only stood around to make sure Neil got everything he needed to do the work. Now, it was the boss who needed help, and it made Neil feel immensely important and helpful to be here with him. The admiration he had towards the man hadn't gone down for a bit. Neil sometimes halted in the middle of treatment to look up and check on his patient's expression, to see if he was comfortable, and on the way up, his gaze came across a long scar on the man's inner bicep. It looked both like it had been there for a thousand years, and like it was only there since yesterday. The tissues around the scar looked old, but the flesh directly upon it still had a pinkish color that looked quite painful for Neil to speak. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It reminded Neil of the story he heard from Isabella. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Want to know how I got these scars?" The boss suddenly asked from above him, and Neil looked up, chuckling.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Are you quoting The Joker at me? Because the only thing I can reply to that is I'm Batman, and it doesn't match."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The boss laughed as well. He looked at Neil with his warm, sparkling brown eyes. "I see you looking at it."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Neil finished up the bandages and sat crossed legs on his left side, leaning against the wall of the container, so close their thighs almost touched. He swallowed. "I don't want to be nosy."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No, I want you to know. You'll have to, anyway."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Neil bit his lip. Whatever he heard from Isabella, it was still just a rumor. But now the boss offered to tell him… Maybe Neil would know more about this soulmate person. And he wanted so bad to know more about the boss. His life, his thoughts, his emotions.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Sure." He finally said, and the boss opened his arm to show it to him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It used to be my soul mark. The name of the one I loved most in the world." He traced the outline of the scar with his fingers, gaze dropping in obvious sorrow. Neil had never seen him so vulnerable.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm sorry." He whispered, placing his hand on top of the man's forearm to comfort him, and the boss smiled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thank you." He paused a little. "We worked together on a case back when I was still in the CIA. He's the one leading me to form Tenet."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He?" Neil muttered before he could think, and the boss nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I enjoy the company of both men and women, but no one matches him." His voice was full of nostalgia. "When we first met, he's all mysterious and such a typical know-it-all. You can imagine how much that annoyed me. I even thought he worked for the enemy and was trying to sabotage me with my mission."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Sounds like a rocky start." Neil smiled, and the man shook his head, laughing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You have no idea. I even shoved him against the wall, demanding him to tell the truth."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Did you two kiss afterward or something?" Neil joked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I wish we did. If so I'd have more time to kiss him than I already had."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What happened after that?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Logically, I shouldn't have trusted him, but he's the only one I could trust in that situation, and he gave me the feeling that everything is gonna be fine. He understood me so much I was terrified, you know. In the end, we saved the world from doomsday together."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The perfect first date option. Saving the world together." Neil subconsciously raised his hand to touch the scar with awe, and after a second he pulled his hand back, apologizing. "I'm sorry, it must be painful."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No, no. It didn't hurt when you touched it." The boss said, guiding his hand back. Neil felt like a current of electricity started from where their skin touched spreading out in his whole body.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Does it--does it hurt all the time?" Neil asked, more carefully this time, felt the surface of the scar. The scar tissues were hard and rough under his hesitating fingertips. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It kinda does." The man sighed. "Worse when I have nightmares about his death."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's alright if you don't want to talk about it." Neil squeezed his shoulder slightly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I do." The boss said, reaching up the other hand to put on top of Neil's hand. "It was our first and last mission together. He always said it was destined that he died in the hypocenter, because he was the only one who was good enough with a lock to open the door in time and come in to take a bullet for me while inverted. He said what had happened, happened, and he was already dead by then. I only realized he was my soulmate when my soul mark burnt and ulcerated into a wound right when he took the bullet for me. It hurt more than being shot by any bullet or going through any torture."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"God, I'm so, so sorry. It's so unfair." Turned out, Neil's soulmate story was still a fairy tale, compared to this. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The worst thing about it was that it was already bleeding from before, since it's the consequence of the inversion. He even came close to take a look at it for me, but I was too focused on the mission to let him touch me. It was a foreshadowing of his death and I didn't even know." His voice almost went out, as if he'd been running a ten-mile marathon. Neil had no idea how to ease the grief coming out of his figure. He used to ask why on Earth he had to take part in saving the boss' soulmate, but now he understood. He'd do anything to help the man. “I hate seeing people sacrificing themselves for me. Or the world. I don’t want to see it happening to any of you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Is there anything I can do?" He asked genuinely.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It hurts all the time, but it's better when you touch it." The boss whispered, and Neil used both of his hands to cover the scar. He could hear the boss' unmasked sigh of relief.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"How does this feel?" Neil gently caressed the old wound, trying not to harm any delicate flesh. The boss slumped against the wall as if all rigidness was drained out of him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thank you. You don't have to do this." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"But if it makes you feel better, I should."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The container wasn't exactly a comfortable place to be, but it felt nice being by his side. Neil spent the rest of the time carefully massaging the boss' inner arm, watching him drifting off to quiet sleep. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Neil woke up in the middle of the night with a terrible pain in his head, and he curled up, groaning. His soul mark was aching and throbbing, feeling like there was a six-inch nail being hit into his skull. Sometimes he had had moments like this with his soul mark, but all of them were minor, dull pain in only a few minutes. It happened with other people as well. The link between soulmates sometimes transferred feelings, and pain was the strongest one, so far distanced couples could only feel that. But it didn't mean the other one was in danger or something, maybe they just stubbed their toes against a table, or maybe they just had a bad mark. Neil believed his David Wilson was also just a normal person with his emotions and probably his dog just died or something this time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But the immense pain only increased by the seconds, and Neil finally got out of bed to find some painkillers. He held his head as he stumbled out of his room to get to the medical bay where he could get his hands on something. It was so horrible Neil couldn't walk straight. He leaned against the wall to get to the end of the corridor and turn right to where the medicine was stored, every step slow and disoriented. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he thought. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What the fuck is wrong with you, Wilson? Will you at least have a breakdown on the day and let me have some sleep, you weirdo?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Neil had no idea how far he went in the dark before he tripped over himself and fell onto the floor, head spinning in pain. He let out a whimper and scrambled to get up, but just couldn't find the strength to, anymore. He leaned against the door in the corridor, panting. It hurt so bad. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So Neil did the first thing that came on his mind when he got into a soulmate emergency: slammed his fists against the door to wake whoever was on the other side so he could beg them to find him some painkillers. And right after he slammed on the door, the damned pain abruptly stopped. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Neil was still dizzy when the door opened, and the boss was standing in front of him shirtless, dark chocolatey skin covered in sweat. It would have been shiny, sexy sweat, if Neil wasn't feeling like shit.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Neil? What's wrong? You okay?" He immediately lowered down to take a look at Neil, helping him up. It was like a thick blanket of fog was lifted off of Neil's vision when the pain finally subsided, and he came back to Earth. He followed the boss inside and sat down in a chair as the man looked at him worriedly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I…" He sighed, buried his face in his hands. "I'm feeling horrible."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What happened?" The man asked, breathless, and Neil looked up. Why was he sounding like that?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"My soul mark hurts in the middle of the night. It's right on the back of my head. It was so bad. I tried to go get some painkillers, but I couldn't walk properly." Neil sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "I was asking for help, but then somehow it's just--stopped. Right before you opened the door. Well, it still hurts a little, but it's not as bad."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Really?" The other man bit his lip, dropping down on the chair next to him. He looked just as dumbfounded as Neil. "What's the name?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"David Wilson." Neil said, raking his hand through his hair. "I tried to find him years ago, but he must be living in Asia or Africa or something. Never found him."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"...Yeah. He must be." The boss said, breathless.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Sorry for waking you." Neil said, shaking his head. "This soulmate of mine must have had a breakdown or something."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's okay, I'd love to be woken up anyway." The boss said, swallowing down. "Stay here for a while before you go back. Make sure you're entirely alright before leaving. Here, let me make you some tea. You British have tea running in your veins."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Neil chuckled. "Thank you."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The boss started to make the tea while Neil sat there, watching him. Somehow, the pain in his soul mark disappeared without a trace. It's like someone turned off the switch and his soulmate decided not to feel upset anymore.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thanks." Neil said again when he received the steaming cup, and it was true. Tea did run in his veins. It cleared his head seconds by seconds. "What do you mean you want to be woken up anyway, boss?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The man seemed surprised that Neil paid attention to that sentence. He grimaced and held his arm, but quickly dropped his hand when he saw Neil looking. "Oh, it's nothing. Just, well, some bad dreams."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Is it--" Neil looked into his eyes, hesitating. "Is it about your...soulmate?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The boss nodded, and Neil sighed. He still looked pretty bad from the nightmare. Drying sweat on his neck, bloodshot eyes, shudders that made his body shook. Neil only went through this soulmate shit once and he already felt like dying. He must have had these nightmares all the time. Both of their soulmates didn't want to give them a rest, did they? Even when one is dead, and one is a million miles away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Is your soul mark hurting?" Neil asked, reaching out a hand. "I can help if you want."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The man wavered a little, eyes staring at Neil with the same vulnerability he saw in the container where he opened up about his past the first time. But Neil responded with a strong, comforting gaze. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I'm basically helpless with my soulmate now. But at least I can do something for you.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The boss took in a deep breath and finally nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Get on the bed." Neil said, gesturing to the bed on the other side of the room, and the boss swallowed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Maybe you can catch some sleep." Neil said, standing up and climbing on the bed that was covered in the scent of this man. Musky, strong, and delicious. Something an alpha male should smell like.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The boss reluctantly followed Neil onto the bed and sat down next to him. Neil moved closer and opened the man's arm, holding it while placing his hands on top of the throbbing scar. It clearly lifted the tension as the boss laid back, leaning against the headboard with Neil beside him. When Neil was little, he used to see his mother spending time giving massage to his father's aching shoulders after a long day. He never knew those memories would come back to him one day, as he did what he remembered his mother did. Applying enough pressure, being careful and gentle, keeping the circular motion. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Is your head still hurting as well?" The boss asked, looking at him through his relaxed, hooded eyes. Neil nodded hesitatingly, feeling the throbbing coming from his soul mark. It was getting less painful, but sometimes small waves of pain surged up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hmm." The boss reached out his other hand to cup the back of Neil's head, over his blond hair. He whispered, voice wavered. "It must have felt like having a bullet in there."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's not that bad." Neil gave him a reassuring smile, continuing to caress the scar on his arm. They were so close like this. Neil plastered against the man's arm, with his head leaning against the man's hold. He tilted his head slightly, looking into those brown eyes, and then shifted to his full lips.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Our soulmates are assholes, aren't they?" The boss whispered as they both closed the gaps and their lips touched. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>From that moment on, it went on as naturally as Neil could imagine his first time with his own soulmate. Explosive fireworks. They were two misfits, two left out pieces, but somehow they fit together seamlessly. The boss held Neil closer to him as Neil moved into his lap, never broke the kiss. It was as if they poured all of their longings, desperation, and desire from the long time waiting for their soulmates into the kiss, exploring, devouring each other's lips and tongue. Neil breathed heavily as he fell on top of the man, feeling his arms closing around his torso like a drowning man holding a lifeline. And somehow, it made him feel safe as well.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Neil wrapped his legs around the man's hips as they kissed, squishing their chests against each other. It's alright. His soulmate was somewhere else, having his own life, safe away from terrorists and battles and doomsday. He must have moved on. Neil should too. After all, he could die on a mission at any moment. Live like every day was his last.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Are you--" The boss asked between their kisses, hands slipping under Neil's pajamas to place on his back. "--okay with this?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Neil simply kissed back harder as an answer and started to open his own shirt. The boss was already half-naked - and half hard. Neil's heart shivered at the pure sexy wonder that was on display in front of him. He couldn't tear his clothes away quickly enough.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Under him, he could hear the boss panting, his warm hands helping Neil taking off his clothes, and then the only shorts that were tenting on the boss' erection. Neil lived his whole life dreaming about his soulmate while having the hottest, sexiest man hiding in plain sight. God.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You look gorgeous." The boss whispered into his ears and cupped his bare ass, making Neil groan.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No, </span>
  <b>you</b>
  <span>." He gasped as the man started to kiss his jaw and the side of his neck, brushing his beard against the sensitive skin. His lips were good at placing butter-soft kisses, but also good at leaving behind possessive marks that were peppered all over his neck, down his shoulders, and even his chest. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Neil squirmed in his arms, rolling his hips back at the man's erection, smearing his own precum all over the man's abs. And talk about abs, Jesus. If Neil could, he would spend all day worshiping this whole Adonis body with his mouth. The only obstacle was his own hungry impulse that would probably make him come before that. Under him, he could hear the man chuckling, and shit, maybe he had just said all of that out loud.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I don't think I can last all day with you either." He bit Neil's earlobe gently, sending waves of pleasure and anticipation down his spine.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Fuck." Neil bit his lip, rocking back and forth on the man's muscular thighs, trying to get some friction on his own cock. "Do you have…?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The man reached under his pillow and pulled out a bottle of lube. Convenient.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hope this isn't because you've brought a lot of people back here." Neil moaned as he wrapped his arms around the man's neck, letting him squeeze out the lube and rubbed it in his fingers to warm it up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's because I've missed you." He replied, biting Neil's neck, and before Neil could ask, a finger circled and then slipped inside him, making him cry out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It has been a while since Neil had done this, so it was quite strange and a little painful, but the man was as gentle and patient as one could be. He never stopped whispering loving nonsense into Neil's ear while easing him open with one, and then two, and more fingers, all so carefully. It was like being handled by the clouds, soft and caressing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And then when the boss felt like he was ready, the man pulled his fingers out and Neil's groin got boiling hot with the feeling of his large cock pushing against his rim, not quite penetrating yet. God, Neil was so into his own world of pleasure that he didn't even notice when the boss put on the condom.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You're in charge of the speed, alright?" The boss looked up at him from the pillow, and his eyes were sparkling in the dark as he smiled at Neil. If Neil weren't horny as hell, he would have wondered why it looked like water in his eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Neil nodded and raised himself up, using his hands and the boss' hands to guide the cock into him. And then he slowly, slowly sank down. It stretched him more than anything has before, and Neil let out a punched out moan.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Don't move yet if you're not ready." The boss' voice sounded strained - his brows furrowed together as he gasped. He was clearly trying to stop his own hips from snapping up. "Remember--you're in charge of the speed."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"But I--ah--" Neil shivered as he finally sank to the bottom, feeling the man impossibly deep inside of him. "Am not in charge of the--size."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That somehow made the boss laugh, airy and unexpected, and Neil gasped as his pleasure spot was hit squarely, sending sparks of ecstasy all over his body. It was so unexpected Neil almost fell over onto the man's chest, but he managed to keep balance by grabbing his open hands, and he smiled at Neil as they slotted their fingers together.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Come on." The man kissed his knuckles. "Please.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shit. Neil shivered and he started to move his hips. Stars covered his vision as the pleasure went on and on with every single shift in his position. He lifted himself up and then pushed down, feeling the burning heat of the man deep inside him. He had never felt this way with anyone else. He had never felt this way in all of his fantasies and dreams about his soulmate. It was heaven, and absolute jumbles fell out of his lips as the other man pushed his hips up just in time, and it was hard not to slam into his sweet spot repeatedly with such a </span>
  <em>
    <span>length</span>
  </em>
  <span>. The sensation turned Neil’s bones into noodles, the only thing that kept him upright was the fact that the boss’ hands were holding his, guiding him, and he gathered all of his energy to bounce up and down on the man’s lap in a trembling and sobbing mess. Under him, the man was also letting out soft moans that were getting more and more urgent as every second passed. He sounded amazing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Neil wanted to kiss him. He wanted to kiss the man so badly, biting and sucking on those lips, but now he couldn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>breathe </span>
  </em>
  <span>- and he fell on top of the boss with a breathless sob. The man wrapped his arms around Neil’s torso, pulling him crushingly close and they continued to rock against each other for a few more times before Neil shuddered and came all over their chests. He contracted so hard around the man that he came immediately after that, and Neil devoured the man’s lips, licking and sucking, giving out all of the flaring fire in his blood. Admiration. Want. Desire. Adoration. Affection.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I promise, I normally last longer than that.” The boss whispered into his ear, and Neil burst into laughter. He pulled the man even closer and kissed him again and again. Somehow, that’s all he wanted to do when he looked at this man. The boss reached over the bedside drawer to take a piece of cloth and cleaned both of them up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Technically, Neil could help him, but he just lied there, staring at the man, figuring out the feelings inside him. He had never met his own soulmate, but this feeling, the feeling he had when he was with the boss like this, it was so much like the things they said about being with your soulmate.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey.” Neil suddenly said when the man draped the blanket over both of them and held him close.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you think about us? What do you think comes after this?” He swallowed, looking into those eyes, waiting for an answer. An explanation for these strange feelings. “Why did we--”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think we both lost our chances with our soulmates, but it’s not a coincidence we’re together now.” He replied, brushing away a strand of blond hair on Neil’s forehead. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You mean fate brought us together?” Neil smiled, and the boss pecked his lips.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Call it what you want.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then what do you call it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Reality.” He held Neil’s hand, and now, Neil finally understood. His role in Tenet is bigger than he thought. Maybe Neil was here to cut off this man’s anchor of a soulmate that kept weighing him, and Tenet down. Maybe Neil was here to get rid of his own shadows and move on. Just like his soulmate, David Wilson, must have had. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then let him go.” Neil smiled. “Move forward. To me.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>We're all clear that David Wilson is The Protagonist and Neil is his soulmate, right? Don't want any confusion here :'(<br/>Please leave a comment if you like the story!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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